President Nicos Anastasiades said on Sunday that the completion of redevelopment projects in Paphos was an example of good management, both of public funds and the objectives set.
Anastasiades inaugurated five urban regeneration projects in Paphos on Sunday.
Addressing the celebrations held at Kennedy Square, he said that the five projects, along with others that are underway and those that have been scheduled for the near future, “completely change and reshape the image of the city”.
The projects include the upgrading of the old town centre and Kennedy Square, the connection and upgrading of October 28, Dionysios Solomos and Kosti Palama squares, the re-design of sites in Mouttallos as well as the upgrading of Governor’s Square and its buildings including the District Administration. There was also improvement work on a section of Evagoras Pallikaridis Avenue and Andreas Tselelepou Streets.
“Today, every Paphian can feel proud for his or her city,” Anastasiades said.
He was satisfied with the results. “A revamped city, especially as no one predicted that with the economic crisis our country faced, it would have been possible to make reality the vision of thousands of Paphians and Cypriots to see their city reborn,” he said.
Following consultations with the Paphos municipality that begun in 2015, the president said, the government had announced 15 projects, which, with the exception of one, have either been completed or are expected to be completed by the beginning of next year.
The example of Paphos municipality’s projects, Anastasiades said, “particularly in a period of regrouping and rehabilitation of the authority of local government, is the strongest evidence that, through the cooperation of central and local authorities, the wider public sector can contribute creatively and effectively to the goal of sustainable development”.
The Paphos municipality’s good governance, planning, and strict adherence to the objectives set, was an example of good management both of public funds and objectives, said Anastasiades who lavishly praised the mayor Phedonas Phedonos.
Without the commitment of the Paphos mayor and municipal council and their insistence on sticking to timeframes, he said, “we would never make it this far”.
Phedonos, said that the chief responsibility of a local authority was to create multidimensional conditions of prosperity and progress so that economic growth can co-exist with cultural growth.
The achievement of the past three years, Phedonos said, has forced changes in the areas that affect the growth and prosperity of the city. “We cannot continue to follow for thirty years the same economic model with tourism and land development as the main axes, but we need a new model that, among other things, will create sectors in relation to new technologies and innovation, utilising the scientific potential of our city and of our country,” Phedonos said.
Three of the projects were funded by the European Union. Costas Iacovou, Director of European Structural and Investment Funds of the Directorate-General for European Coordination and Development Programmes, said that the reliability of the Paphos municipality, was acknowledged and this was why the government decided to increase the amount of European funds from the initial allocation of €15m to €28m.
“We believe that the Paphos projects are a good practice example of the use of European funds,” Iacovou said.
Five members of the European Parliament, in charge EU’s cohesion policy, recently visited Paphos to see how the European funds were used and were impressed. ”They were impressed because they saw proof that Cyprus is making good use of the money it receives,” said Iacovou.
